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Does the belief in Jesus (peace be upon him) as a ‘son of God’ really make sense?

By – Yusuf Estes

What exactly does ‘son of God’ mean?

Can true salvation from God, be the punishment of someone else who is innocent from any of these crimes, to be punished as though he were guilty?

Does God need someone to suffer severe punishment, even though they are trying, day after day.

Did Jesus (peace be upon him) tell the people to take him as a god, or to worship him?

Let us find the answer to these and other important questions about the nature of Jesus of Christianity and Islam.

“Look to the Books”

To begin, let us do a sample comparison of the teachings of the Holy Books of Almighty God.

QURAN OF ISLAM

“Say: Oh my servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins, for he is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Noble Quran 39:53]

“If anyone does evil or wrongs his own soul but afterwards seeks Allah’s forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Noble Quran 4:110]

“O you people! Adore your Guardian lord, who created you and those who came before you that you may become righteous.” [Noble Quran 2:21]

“You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. For such He has written faith in their hearts and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself. And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, to well therein (forever). Allah will be well pleased with them, and they with Him. They are the Party of Allah. Truly it is the Party of Allah that will achieve Felicity.” [Noble Quran 58:22]

New Testament of BIBLE

“Why do you call me good? answered Jesus, No-one is good but God alone!” [Mark 10:18]

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but rather to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until Heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of the pen; will by any means disappear from the Law until all things are accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever keeps the commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.” [Matthew 5:17-19]

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the Will of the Father who is in Heaven. Many will say to me on the day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” [Matthew 7:21-23]

Some leaders claimed, “This probably refers to the Mormons or somebody else. Don’t worry about it.”

“Gabriel says Jesus will be “called the son of God” and he would be “given the Throne of David” to “rule the House of Jacob forever.”” [Luke 1:35]

“Enos was the son of Seth, and Seth was the son of Adam, and Adam was the son of God.” [Luke 3:38]

Note: Adam, not Jesus, is listed in this genealogy of Jesus as the son of God, not Jesus.

Later on, the priests are asking Jesus (peace be upon him) if he claims to be the son of God. He tells them in fact, it is they who are making this claim.

“You say that I am.”

Gospel of John contains the greatest number of references to “son of God”

Jesus, speaking in the third person talked about the “Son of God” in [John 3:17 – John 5:24 – John 11:4 – John 11:27]

Martha, one of the followers, calls Jesus, peace be upon him, “The Messiah, the Son of God”

“The Messiah, the Son of God.” [John 20:31]

But no verse makes the exact statement “Jesus is the Son of God and as such he is divine or God.”

QURAN

“O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah anything but the truth. Christ Jesus, the son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not “Trinity”: desist: It will be better for you: For Allah is One God: Glory be to Him: (Far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.” [Noble Quran 4:171]

Notice in the Bible, the frequent link between the position of Jesus, peace be upon him, as the Messiah and the ‘son-ship.’

The term ‘son of god’ can not, in itself, be considered enough to declare anything unique about Jesus, peace be upon him, as this term is used for many people throughout the Old and the New Testament.

See above: [Luke 3:38]

Also, in [Isaiah 63:8] refers to the entire house of Israel as being, ‘Sons of God’.

Paul tells us about those who are led by the spirit:

“because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” [Romans 8:14]

The word “Messiah” is one that more particularly seems to represent the station of the person predicted to appear and lead the people to the victory over this world.

Oxford Companion of the Bible states Jews prior to Jesus (peace be upon him) hoped for a prophesied ruler, reigning with everlasting justice, peace and security for the “Sons of Israel.”

BIBLE

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will be on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of Knowledge and of the fear of the Lord – and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.” [Isaiah 11:1-2]

“The days are coming, declares the Lord, When I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness. For this is what the Lord says: David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offering and to present sacrifices.” [Jeremiah 33:14-18]

“My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. The will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them, it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.” [Ezekiel 37:24-28]

“The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the rules staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.” [Genesis 49:10]

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth. Edom will be conquered; Seir, his enemy, will conquer, but Israel will grow strong. A ruler will come out of Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.” [Numbers 24:17-19]

God Incarnate? NOT HERE

BIBLE

Nathan the prophet (son of Solomon) said:

“The Lord declares to you that the Lord Himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he will be my son.”

(New Testament book of Hebrews stops here)

Samuel continues:

“When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.” [2 Samuel 7:12-15]

“You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” [Hebrews 1:5]

Does this support the case the doctrine that Jesus, peace be upon him, is the “begotten Son of God?”

Old Testament BIBLE

David is stating what God has proclaimed regarding David’s relationship to God

“I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: he said to me, you are my Son; this day have I begotten you.” [Psalms 2:7]

Note: The New International Version says the verse could be translated either as “become your Father” or as “begotten you” into English or Greek.

New Testament BIBLE

“He will be called the Son of God.” [Luke 1:35]

Note: This does not state he “is” the son, but rather, he will be “called” the son of God.

Or was he the “one anointed to preach Good News to the poor.” prophesied by Isaiah, and the Messiah proclaimed by Gabriel, the followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, Jesus, himself and the remained of the New Testament, he evidently would not be God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” [John 3:16]

This does not actually define Jesus, peace be upon him, as God, or as the Messiah or as a Prophet.

Note: This verse was actually modified by Jerome in the 4th century.

ARIUS (Early history of the Church) a popular leader from Alexandria, Egypt. He argued, Jesus (peace be upon him) was created and not ‘begotten.’ He was charged with heresy and his followers were horribly oppressed by the Church.

After the matter was ‘decided’ and ‘confirmed’ by the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and in an effort to consolidate both beliefs, Jerome altered the original version of the Gospel of John 3:16 by changing the word ‘monogenes’ (unique) and substituted the word ‘ingenious’ meaning ‘only begotten.’

What other ‘interpretations’ did the early Church Fathers invent to satisfy their claims of the divinity of Jesus, peace be upon him?

Good question.

New Testament BIBLE

“But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles that you may learn and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” [John 10:38]

“Don’t you know that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The words that I say to you are not my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me who is doing this work.” [John 14:10]

But further reading in the very same chapter:

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” [John 14:20]

So how does he live in his disciples and how do they live in him? And if so, are they also, sons of God or Gods?

Another good question.

“But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” [1st John 2:5-6]

(This is an epistle [letter] written by another ‘John,’ not John the Gospel er nor John the Baptist)

Note: This indicates, living ‘in God’ means, ‘Obeying God’ commandments and following the Way of Jesus, peace be upon him.

Twice in the New Testament, Jesus (peace be upon him) tells his followers how to pray saying, “When you pray, say this…” And the words are very clear, God’s Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

BIBLE

“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one; I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

[John 17:22-23]

The word used throughout chapter 10 and 17, for unity or one was the same, ‘heis’ meaning the number one. There is another word ‘hen’ which means a unity of essence. However, ‘hen’ is nowhere to be found in these chapters.

Note: Conclusion is this is a prayer from Jesus, peace be upon him, to God that all of his followers would have the same relationship that he (Jesus) had.

Understanding the word ‘one’ meanings understanding the way in which it is being used. For example a man and a woman become ‘one’ when they marry; someone might say, ‘One hopes for success’ or ‘We are one in agreement.’

Jesus, peace be upon him, is supposed to have said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” In the very part of the Bible we find the verse wherein Jesus (peace be upon him) tells his followers, if they accepted a little child, then they also accepted Jesus, peace be upon him. Naturally, he did not mean the child was God or that he was a child.

Christians are taught early in life, by doing good deeds and service for others, they are in fact allowing others to see Jesus in them.

Why do we hold so tight to doctrines, even after realizing the incorrectness and false teachings?

Yet another good question

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus, peace be upon him, is a man, born of a woman without any father, strengthened by a Spirit from God (Gabriel), sent by God to teach the Children of Israel the true meaning of belief and proper actions (following the commandments) that God would accept from them and as such, their ‘road to salvation.’

One more time:

BIBLE

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God at the beginning.” [John 1:1]

Jesus (peace be upon him) was the very “Word of God”.

QURAN

“O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah anything but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) A Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not ‘trinity’: desist.” [Noble Quran 4:171]

It is difficult for us to admit that we have been deceived for so many years by some many people, some of them very near and dear to us. The truth is, ‘Someone has been lying to us’ – on purpose.

It is also difficult to consider the consequences of loosing faith in the doctrine of the Church, out of fear of loosing faith in God altogether.

But there is wonderful hope, Grace, Mercy and Salvation for those who come to the correct belief and obey the commandments.

Wisdom or Word?

Oxford Companion to the Bible

The words “wisdom” and ‘word’ were synonymous (exactly the same words) in Jewish thought at the time of Jesus.

Old Testament BIBLE

“The lord brought me forth at the beginning of his work before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning before the world began. When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations of the earth. Then I was the craftsman at his side.” [Proverbs 8:22-30]

“By Wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.” [Proverbs 3:19]

APOCRYPHA (hidden books of the Bible)

Wisdom I and Wisdom II

Sirach (also called: “Ecclesiasticus”) written by Jesus ben Sira, a devout Jew of Jerusalem, 200 years before Christ. These texts were a part of the Bible until the time of the Calvinists and the Protestant Reformation (hence the word – protest).

Scrolls found at Wadi Qumran and Masada confirm these were always a part of the ancient version of the Bible, but obviously not something Protestants wanted anything to do with.

Wisdom states:

“Wisdom praises herself, and tells of her glory in the midst of her people. In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory: ‘I came forth from the mouth of the Most High and covered the earth like a mist. I dwelt in the highest heavens, and my throne was in a pillar of a cloud. Alone I compassed the vault of heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss. Over waves of the sea, over all the earth, and over every people and nation I have held sway. Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose territory should I abide? Then the Creator of all things gave me a command, and my Creator chose the place for my tent. He said, ‘Make your dwelling in Jacob, and in Israel, receive your inheritance.’ Before the ages, in the beginning he created me, and for all the ages I shall not cease to be. In the holy tent I ministered before him, and so I was established in Zion. Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was my domain. I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord his heritage.” [Sirach 24:1-12]

“For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing evil gains entrance into her. For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of His goodness. Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets.” [Wisdom of Solomon 7:25-27]

Did the beginning of the Gospel of John indicate John believed the Spirit was sent by God to Jesus (peace be upon him) that it was the Spirit of Wisdom, Spirit of Prophecy, sent to all the prophets, with the same commandments and wisdom?

Could the Spirit of Wisdom be with God since creation? Or perhaps the Spirit was the ‘Word of God’ that was uttered or breathed by God in the Beginning and then continued along with God in the rest of Creation?

BIBLE APOCRAPHA

“For wisdom, the Fashioner of all things, taught me.”

[Wisdom of Solomon 7:22]

Could the Spirit of Wisdom be the Holy Spirit that spoke to Mary about having her baby? And the same Holy Spirit that descending upon him at this baptism?

BIBLE

“Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’” [John 1:32]

All of this confirms without doubt the writers of the Old Testament and the New Testament were definitely on the lookout for a “Messiah” or “chosen leader of the way to salvation in this life and the next life.”

The word in Hebrew for the ‘chosen one’ or ‘anointed one’ or ‘appointed one’ is ‘Messiah.’ The word in Koine Greek for ‘Messiah’ is ‘Christos’ (became ‘Christ’). The word in Arabic for it is “Massih”

Did Jesus, peace be upon him, ask people to pray to him, or to pray with him, to the God who sent him?

Did Jesus, peace be upon him, claim to be God?

Can the term “son of God” in English really present the meaning intended by the writers of the Bible?

Now let us compare with compassion and wisdom in our hearts. Which of the two concepts make the most sense between Islam and Christianity when it comes to the subject of Jesus, peace be upon him?

Let us compare the two and see what our wisdom and common sense tell us:

According to the teachings of Islam in the Quran and the words of the last prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him, Jesus, the son of Mary, was predicted, he came to earth as a baby with a mother but no father, he did amazing miracles by the permission of Allah, including even bringing a dead man back to life; he did demonstrate for his followers the very best of behavior and obedience to the commandments of God. And according to the Bible he personally prayed and ask God Almighty to save him from the fate of going to the cross.

The Bible indicates Jesus prayers at Gethsemane went unanswered, even though he stayed up through the night crying and asking God, “Let this cup pass from me, even so, Your will be done.”

Yet, according to Quran, Almighty God did answer his prayers. He did not go to the cross, but rather the likeness of him was put on another person who did go to the cross and Almighty God, caused Jesus, peace be upon him, to be saved, protected and he is with God and will return in the Last Days to lead the true believers to victory over the evil ones.

Some have even speculated the one on the cross was the very one (Judas Thomas Iscariot) who sold out Jesus and his followers for thirty pieces of sliver.

All of my statements, past, present and future express solely my opinions and/or beliefs and do not in any way represent those of any of my employer’s unless such is specifically stated in the content of the text.

Contradictions

The Bible is riddled with repetitions and contradictions, things that the Bible bangers would be quick to point out in anything that they want to criticize. For instance, Genesis 1 and 2 disagree about the order in which things are created, and how satisfied God is about the results of his labors. The flood story is really two interwoven stories that contradict each other on how many of each kind of animal are to be brought into the Ark–is it one pair each or seven pairs each of the “clean” ones? The Gospel of John disagrees with the other three Gospels on the activities of Jesus Christ (how long had he stayed in Jerusalem–a couple of days or a whole year?) and all four Gospels contradict each other on the details of Jesus Christ’s last moments and resurrection. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke contradict each other on the genealogy of Jesus Christ’ father; though both agree that Joseph was not his real father. Repetitions and contradictions are understandable for a hodgepodge collection of documents, but not for some carefully constructed treatise, reflecting a well-thought-out plan.

Of the various methods I’ve seen to “explain” these:

“That is to be taken metaphorically” In other words, what is written is not what is meant. I find this entertaining, especially for those who decide what ISN’T to be taken as other than the absolute WORD OF GOD–which just happens to agree with the particular thing they happen to want..

“There was more there than…” This is used when one verse says “there was a” and another says “there was b”, so they decide there was “a” AND “b”–which is said nowhere. This makes them happy, since it doesn’t say there WASN’T “a+b”. But it doesn’t say there was “a+b+little green Martians”. This is often the same crowd that insists theirs is the ONLY possible interpretation (i.e. only “a”) and the only way. I find it entertaining that they don’t mind adding to verses.

“It has to be understood in context” I find this amusing because it comes from the same crowd that likes to push likewise extracted verses that support their particular view. Often it is just one of the verses in the contradictory set is suppose to be taken as THE TRUTH when if you add more to it, it suddenly becomes “out of context”. How many of you have gotten JUST [John 3:16] (taken out of all context) thrown up at you?

“There was just a copying/writing error” This is sometimes called a “transcription error”, as in where one number was meant and an incorrect one was copied down. Or that what was “quoted” wasn’t really what was said, but just what the author thought was said when he thought it was said. And that’s right–I’m not disagreeing with events, I’m disagreeing with what is WRITTEN. Which is apparently agreed that it is incorrect. This is an amusing misdirection to the problem that the bible itself is wrong.

“That is a miracle”. Naturally. That is why it is stated as fact.

“God works in mysterious ways” A useful dodge when the speaker doesn’t understand the conflict between what the Bible SAYS and what they WISH it said.

God good to all, or just a few?

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. [PSA 145:9]

And I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the LORD: I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them. [JER 13:14]

War or Peace?

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. [EXO 15:3]

Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen [ROM 15:33]

Who is the father of Joseph?

And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. [MAT 1:16]

And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. [LUK 3:23]

Who was at the Empty Tomb? Is it:

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher. [MAT 28:1]

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. [MAR 16:1]

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. [JOH 20:1]

Is Jesus equal to or lesser than?

I and my Father are one [JOH 10:30]

Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. [JOH 14:28]

Which first–beasts or man?

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [GEN 1:25-26]

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. [GEN 2:18-19]

The number of beasts in the ark

Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. [GEN 7:2]

Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth. There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. [GEN 7:8-9]

How many stalls and horsemen?

And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. [KI1 4:26]

And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. [CH2 9:25]

Is it folly to be wise or not?

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. [PRO 4:7]

For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. [ECC 1:18]

For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. [1 Cor.1:19:]

Human vs. ghostly impregnation

Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; [ACT 2:30]

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. [MAT 1:18]

The sins of the father

Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities. [ISA 14:21]

The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. [DEU 24:16]

The bat is not a bird

And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind Every raven after his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. [LEV 11:13-19]

Of all clean birds ye shall eat. But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey, And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind, And every raven after his kind, And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan, And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant, And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat. [DEU 14:11-18]

Rabbits do not chew their cud

And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you. [LEV 11:6]

‘Gerah’, the term which appears in the MT means (chewed) cud, and also perhaps grain, or berry (also a 20th of a sheckel, but I think that we can agree that that is irrelevant here). It does *not* mean dung, and there is a perfectly adequate Hebrew word for that, which could have been used. Furthermore, the phrase translated ‘chew the cud’ in the KJV is more exactly ‘bring up the cud’. Rabbits do not bring up anything; they let it go all the way through, then eat it again. The description given in Leviticus is inaccurate, and that’s that. Rabbits do eat their own dung; they do not bring anything up and chew on it.

Insects do NOT have four feet

Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth; Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind. But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you [LEV 11:21-23]

Snails do not melt

As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun. [PSA 58:8]

Fowl from waters or ground?

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. [GEN 1:20-21]

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. [GEN 2:19]

Odd genetic engineering

And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle ringstraked, speckled, and spotted. [GEN 30:39]

The shape of the earth

It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: [ISA 40:22]

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them [MAT 4:8]

Astronomical bodies are spherical, and you cannot see the entire exterior surface from anyplace. The kingdoms of Egypt, China, Greece, Crete, sections of Asia Minor, India, Maya (in Mexico), Carthage (North Africa), Rome (Italy), Korea, and other settlements from these kingdoms of the world were widely distributed.

Snakes, while built low, do not eat dirt

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: [GEN 3:14]

Earth supported?

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing [JOB 26:7]

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. [JOB 38:4]

Heaven supported too

The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. [JOB 26:11]

The hydrological cycle

All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. [ECC 1:7]

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? Or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, [JOB 38:22]

Storehouses are not part of the cycle

Order of creation

Here is the order in the first (Genesis 1), the Priestly tradition:

Day 1: Sky, Earth, light Day 2: Water, both in ocean basins and above the sky(!) Day 3: Plants Day 4: Sun, Moon, stars (as calendrical and navigational aids) Day 5: Sea monsters (whales), fish, birds, land animals, creepy-crawlies (reptiles, insects, etc.) Day 6: Humans (apparently both sexes at the same time) Day 7: Nothing (the Gods took the first day off anyone ever did)

Note that there are “days”, “evenings”, and “mornings” before the Sun was created. Here, the Deity is referred to as “Elohim”, which is a plural, thus the literal translation, “the Gods”. In this tale, the Gods seem satisfied with what they have done, saying after each step that “it was good”.

Step-by-step. The only discrepancy is that there is no Sun or Moon or stars on the first three “days”.

God fixes things up as he goes. The first man is lonely, and is not satisfied with animals. God finally creates a woman for him. (funny thing that an omniscient god would forget things)

How satisfied with creation was he?

God says “it was good” after each of his labors, and rests on the seventh day, evidently very satisfied.

God has to fix up his creation as he goes, and he would certainly not be very satisfied with the disobedience of that primordial couple. (funny thing that an omniscient god would forget things)

Moses’ personality

“Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the fact of the earth.” [Num.12:3]

“And Moses was wroth…And Moses said unto them, “Have ye saved all the women alive? … Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman, … But all the women children … keep alive for yourselves.” [Num.31:14, 15, 17, 18]

Righteous live?

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.” [Ps.92:12]

“The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart.” [Isa.57:1]

“Now this man (Judas) purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” [Acts 1:18]

“And he (Judas) cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests…bought with them the potter’s field.” [Matt. 27:5-7]

Jesus’ first sermon plain or mount?

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying….” [Matt.5:1,2]

“And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people… came to hear him.. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples and said…” [Luke6:17,20]

Jesus’ last words

“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?” that is to say, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” …Jesus, when he cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” [Matt.27:46,50]

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, “Father, unto thy hands I commend my spirit:” and having said thus, he gave up the ghost [Luke23:46]

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished:” and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. [John19:30]

Years of famine

So God came to David, and told him, and said unto him, shall SEVEN YEARS OF FAMINE come unto thee in thy land? Or will thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue. thee? [II SAMUEL 24:13]

SO God came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee. Either THREE YEARS OF FAMINE or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; [I CHRONICLES 21:11, 12]

Moved David to anger?

And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Isreal and Judah. [II SAMUEL 24]

And SATAN stood up against Isreal, and provoked David to number Israel [I CHRONICLES 21]

The GENEALOGY OF JESUS?

In two places in the New Testament the genealogy of Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon him) is mentioned. [Matthew 1:6-16] and [Luke 3:23-31]. Each gives the ancestors of Joseph the CLAIMED husband of Mary and Step father of Jesus (peace be upon him). The first one starts from Abraham (verse 2) all the way down to Jesus. The second one from Jesus all the way back to Adam. The only common name to these two lists between David and Jesus is JOSEPH, How can this be true? And also, How can Jesus have a genealogy when all Muslims and most Christians believe that Jesus had/has no father.

God be seen?

[Exod. 24:9,10; Amos 9:1; Gen. 26:2; and John 14:9]

God CAN be seen:

“And I will take away my hand, and thou shalt see my backparts.” [Ex. 33:23]

“And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friend.” [Ex. 33:11]

“For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” [Gen. 32:30]

God CANNOT be seen

“No man hath seen God at any time. [John 1:18]

“And he said, Thou canst not see my face; for there shall no man see me and live.” [Ex. 33:20]

“Whom no man hath seen nor can see” [1 Tim. 6:16]

CRUEL, UNMERCIFUL, DESTRUCTIVE, and FEROCIOUS or KIND, MERCIFUL, and GOOD:

“I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy.” [Jer. 13:14]

“Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not, but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling.” [1 Samuel 15:3]

“The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.” [James 5:11]

“For his mercy endureth forever.” [1 Chron. 16:34]

“The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Ps. 145:9) “God is love.” [1 John 4:16]

Tempts?

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham.” [Gen 22:1]

“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man.” [James 1:13]

Judas died how?

“And he cast down the pieces of silver into the temple and departed, and went out and hanged himself.” [Matt. 27:5]

“And falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all of his bowels gushed out.” [Acts 1:18]

Ascend to heaven

“And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” [2 Kings 2:11]

“No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, … the Son of Man.” [John 3:13)]

What was Jesus’ prediction regarding Peter’s denial?

Before the cock crow [Matthew 26:34]

Before the cock crow twice [Mark 14:30]

How many times did the cock crow?

And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. [MAR 14:72]

Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. [MAT 26:74-75]

And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spoke, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. [LUK 22:60-61]

Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. [SA1 31:4-6]

And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died. [SA2 1:15]

How many beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. [MAT 5:3-11]

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. [LUK 6:20-23]

Does every man sin?

If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near; [KI1 8:46]

If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near; [CH2 6:36]

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? [PRO 20:9]

For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. [ECC 7:20]

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. [JO1 1:8-10]

Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. [JO1 3:9]

Who bought potter’s field

Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood. [ACT 1:18-19]

And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. [MAT 27:6-8]

Who prophesied the potter’s field?

[Matthew 27:9-10] (mentions Jeremy but no such verse in Jeremiah) is in [Zechariah 11:12-13]

Who bears guilt?

Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ [GAL 6:2]

For every man shall bear his own burden. [GAL 6:5]

Do you answer a fool?

Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him [PRO 26:4]

Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. [PRO 26:5]

How many children did Michael, the daughter of Saul, have?

Therefore Michael the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death. [SA2 6:23]

But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michael the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: [SA2 21:8]

How old was Jehoiachin when he began to reign?

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem [KI2 24:8]

Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. [CH2 36:9]

Marriage?

[Proverbs 18:22]

[1 Corinthians 7] (whole book. See 1,2,27,39,40)

Did those with Saul/Paul at his conversion hear a voice?

And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. [ACT 9:7]

And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spoke to me [ACT 22:9]

Where was Jesus three days after his baptism?

And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness [MAR 1:12]

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; [JOH 1:35]

(various trapsing)

How many apostles were in office between the resurrection and ascent ion?

12 [1 Corinthians 15:5]

minus one from 12 [Matthew 27:3-5]

Mathias not elected until after resurrection [Acts 1:9-26]

Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them [MAT 28:16]

Judging

The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment:” (NIV) [1 Cor 2:15 “]

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” [1 Cor 4:5]

Good deeds

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (NIV) [Matt 5:16]

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (NIV) [Matt 6:3-4]

For or against?

He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (default is against) [MAT 12:30]

For he that is not against us is on our part. (default is for) [MAR 9:40]

And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. (default is for) [LUK 9:50]

Whom did they see at the tomb?

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. [MAT 28:2-5]

And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. [MAR 16:5]

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: [LUK 24:4]

And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. [JOH 20:12]

God change?

[Malachi 3:6]

[James 1:17]

[1 Samuel 15:29]

[Jonah 3:10]

[Genesis 6:6]

Destruction of cities (what said was Jeremiah was Zechariah)

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; [MAT 27:9]

nothing in Jeremiah remotely like) [Zechariah 11:11-13]

Who’s sepulchers

[Acts 7:16]

[Genesis 23:17,18]

Strong drink?

[Proverbs 31:6,7]

[John 2:11-11]

When second coming?

Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. [MAT 24:34]

Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. [MAR 13:30]

Depends where you look; [Matthew 12:40] gives Jesus prophesying that he will spend “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth”, and [Mark 10:34] has “after three days (meta treis emeras) he will rise again”. As far as I can see from a quick look, the prophecies have “after three days”, but the post-Resurrection narratives have “on the third day”.

REFERENCES:

The King James version of the Bible. quotes provided.

Self-contradictions of the Bible. William Henry Burr ISBN 0-87975-416-8

Thaddaeus, Joannes, fl. 1630. The reconciler of the Bible enlarged: wherein above three thousand seeming contradictions throughout the Old and New Testament are fully and plainly reconciled … / by J. T. and T. M. .. London: Printed for Simon Miller …, 1662. Series title: Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1052:9. UCSD Central MICRO F 524 Current Periodical Microform

Poole, Matthew, 1624-1679. Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Vol. II : wherein the sacred text is inserted, and various readings annex’d, together with the parallel scriptures : the more difficult terms in each verse are explained,… The third edition, with the addition of a new concordance and tables, by Mr. Sam. Clark; the whole corrected and amended by the said Mr. Sam. Clark and Mr. Edward Veale .. London : Printed for Thomas Parkhurst [and 6 others], MDCXCVI [1696]. Series title: Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1041:1. UCSD Central MICRO F 524 Current Periodical Microform

A good source of _literal_ Biblical self-contradictions is (surprise) “Self-Contradictions of the Bible”, written by William Henry Burr in 1859 as a response to fundamentalism. It is currently published by Prometheus Books, 700 East Amherst St., Buffalo, NY 14215. P. B. also publishes a large number of books on religious inquiry and biblical critiques, the majority of which have a humanistic/atheistic slant. As far as “Self-Contradictions …” goes, it contains about 140 textual inconsistencies, classified under “Theological Doctrines”, “Moral Precepts”, “Historical Facts”, and “Speculative Doctrines.”

“The Bible Handbook” is a compilation of several previous works by several authors, including W P Ball, G W Foote, and John Bowden. Also, the writing by Mr. Foote is dated 1900, so we see that this is not a new endeavor. _The Bible Handbook_ by W.P. Ball, et al., available for nine dollars from the American Atheist Press, P.O. Box 2117, Austin TX 78768-2117. It’s a collection of biblical contradictions, absurdities, atrocities, immoralities, indecencies, obscenities, unfulfilled prophecies and broken promises. This 372-page volume will give the atheist tons of scriptural ammunition for shooting down the flimsy arguments of the reality impaired.

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